


Tsubaki

by Gloomiebunny009



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: AU, Drama, F/M, Fantasy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 10:44:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2188794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gloomiebunny009/pseuds/Gloomiebunny009
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day on her way home from work Shiemi is saved from a demon by a mysterious young man - not knowing just what she’s getting into by sheltering him…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter one

“Whuts za matta? Yas don't wanna have sum fun?”

With her back against the wall of a building and trying to push herself even farther back Moriyama Shiemi was sure this was her worst day ever. It had started out very nice though. She had woken up on time, her work clothes were clean, and her shower had been nice and warm. Actually everything had been wonderful until her toaster decided to go crazy and almost exploded in her face. Shiemi had barely been able to grab her small fire extinguisher before the thing blew. Luckily she had been fast and saved her small apartment with all her belongings.

After that, on her way to work a car had run over a mud puddle as she was walking past and she got hit with mud. With her clothes soaked and dirty Shiemi barely made it to work on time. Though she did have to give her self some credit for not bursting out into tears upon arrival. Luck was on her side again seeing as her boss had some extra clothes for her to change into so all was well until right before her lunch break. Shiemi had dealt with many different types of customers over the past year of working at her current job but the one she had met that day had been worst so far.

He had yelled at her, wouldn't listen to a word she said and it all ended with her having a break down and crying her eyes out. It had been so embarrassing but at the same time she was so thankful her boss had stepped up and saved her. If it hadn't been for her, Shiemi was sure the situation would have gotten so much worse than what went down. The rest of her day had been okay after that but then this happened...

Shiemi slid herself across the brick wall trying to get out from under this drunk man's arm, but every time she moved he moved with her. The smell of alcohol and sweat was strong and revolting as it made her stomach turn every time she breathed in. Dressed in street clothes, Shiemi was sure the man was just some guy who wandered out of the night club just down the street but she couldn't be sure. She had just come down this alleyway so she could avoid the drunks from said night club but instead she had gotten herself trapped by one.

“P-please l-leave me alone...” Shiemi asked, her voice soft. She licked her lips as she moved away from the man.

“Huuh? Why?” He leaned in closer causing Shiemi to grimace. “C'mooon I'll treat ya nice!”

“J-just leave me a-alone please!”

She finally pushed herself away from the wall and towards the streets, ducking under his arms to get away. The young woman could hear the sound of cars rushing by and people talking, signally she was almost there. Then the drunk caught her wrist and yanked her back hard. With a small yelp Shiemi nearly tripped but some how kept her footing, tugging against the man's grip instantly.

“Let me go!” She yelled as he pulled her close.

“Shtop fighting! Let's go have sum fun! I'll buy ya a drink!” He slurred as he leaned in close.

Shiemi squeaked softly as she pushed him back and tugged her wrist away from his iron grip. “I said no! Please leave me alone!”

“C'mon stop being such a cold bitch and have some fun!” The man growled as he took a step closer.

With a gulp Shiemi fumbled for her bag at her side. She had pepper spray for occasions like this and it looked like she was going to need it for the first time. After all she lived alone and her small apartment was some distance from her work place. Having something for protection on her was better than nothing.

Just as her hand touched the small bottle Shiemi felt a strong arm warm wrap around her shoulders and pull her close. A light pleasant smell of a man's cologne reached her next.

“Hey babe,” She felt soft lips meet her cheek in a fast kiss. “Sorry for taking so long, I'm ready to go when you are.”

The young woman was frozen, unable to move or say anything as her brain processed what was happening. Finally getting the sense to look up she was met with some tired looking brown eyes who stared right back before winking at her. For a moment she couldn't help but stare at him as her brain processed everything that was going on, including that sly wink.

On his head he wore a black beanie, with a bit of pink hair poking out of the edge. He wore an old black leather jacket with a red hoodie underneath with a pair of blue jeans and well worn black converses. He looked like any other guy on the street to Shiemi, making her wonder what made him come down this way. Not to mention he was rather good looking, a thing that would have usually left her a squeaking mess if he even talked to her. At the moment things were complicated and her mind was somewhere else so it was more of a passing thought than a brain breaker.

The man with the tired brown eyes stared down at Shiemi and winked at her again, urging her to go along with him. A playful smile sprung to his lips as he turned forward, pushing her just slightly.

“Um...ahh...n-no!” Shiemi answered quickly, her brain _finally_ catching on. She began to walk with the man who seemed to ignore the drunk and move forward. “I-I didn't have to wait long at all um...h-honey!”

“Good, I bet you're hungry let's grab something to eat on the way home.” He laughed. “What would you like to eat sweetie?”

Her world was spinning as she walked with this mysterious man and it felt like she could barely walk. If it hadn't been for this stranger supporting her Shiemi was sure she would have fallen. Despite part of herself having a slight freak out that maybe this guy was even freakier than the last, there was another part telling it to be quiet. Whoever he was didn't quite give off the air of “serial killer” and felt like the exact opposite.

Then again that was sort of the point for serial killer's right? They looked like everyone else so they could get their victims...

Shaking her head, Shiemi decided not to focus on that possibility and leaned in closer towards the man despite her heart going a million miles per hour inside her chest. His body was nice and warm, a weird but nice thing that seemed to be calming her nerves. She felt his hand gently squeeze her shoulder in response making the blush on her cheeks become darker.

They were almost to the end of the alley, making the young woman relax against him more. Soon they would be out in the open with other people and away from this weird drunk. They were going to make it!

“Back off she's my meal.”

The low growl had come to their ears so sudden that neither the mysterious man or the young woman knew what to do other than freeze. Shiemi felt her stomach drop at that sound as both she and her would be savior slowly turned around to face the man who she knew for sure was now a demon.

Shiemi had known about demons since she was a little girl. While she hadn't been able to see them until she was about fifteen (a nasty incident she would like to forget at times) the young woman knew they were around and living in the same world as she. Her family had worked alongside exorcists for generations, helping them with understanding demon repelling plants and making new equipment for them while running a small supply shop in True Cross Academy Town. Shiemi was planning on inheriting her mother's shop when the time was right but for the moment she had moved out and was working for another exorcist supply shop in Southern Cross.

Demons were nothing new to her, and she respected the nice ones as much as she could. But she wasn't naïve enough to think there weren't bad ones out there as well. She personally knew they existed all to well.

This demon has a pair of large dark goat like horns growing out of his skulls, and his eyes had gone dark with red iris'. Drool dripped down his chin as his hands twitched and cracked, shifting into animal like paws. Long thick claws replaced his fingernails, and finally his teeth shifted into sharp fangs, sort of reminding Shiemi of a shark's mouth.

He was terrifying, and probably would have made a normal person scream. But Shiemi had seen worst over the years seeing as she did work with exorcist on a daily basis. Demons were scary, but nothing compared to the things they could do to a human body from her experience. She eyed the claws, just imagining what kind of damage they could do to a normal human...and it wasn't pretty.

“Fuck...” The mysterious man cursed under his breath, the young woman silently agreed with his statement with a mute nod of her head.

The demon pointed a thick claw at the man who didn't flinch or back away. His face was relaxed and impassive, as if he saw this every day. She briefly wondered if he was an exorcist off duty, but for some reason he didn't have that air around them. Dealing with exorcists every day, Shiemi sort of knew what kind of air most exorcists gave off and this man did not have it. He was different, more relaxed while at the same time a bit more tense as he watched the demon. While he didn't show it in his face, Shiemi felt it in the way his grip on her shoulder tightened.

“You're not completely human.” The demon growled low. “I can tell just by the way you _smell_. I won't let you steal my meal just so you can eat her yourself.”

“C'mon man I just had a shower I can't smell that bad.” The mysterious man joked with a laugh. “Listen I don't like fighting, and I'm not letting this girl go so let's just go our separate ways and no one will get hurt. Also gross, I don't eat humans.”

“She's my meal. If you let her go I won't rip your head off!” The demon snarled.

“Hey, she's no one's meal.” Shiemi felt him pull her a bit closer. “She's too cute to eat anyways.”

He paused before glancing down at her. “Well maybe not the type of eating you're thinking of, if you catch my drift.” The mysterious man winked at her playfully. Shiemi stared up at him, not understanding him one bit.

Before she could respond the demon lunged at them, a claw raised high above his head and ready to slice someone's head off or at the least scratch their face off. The mysterious man pushed Shiemi to the side of the wall, dodging the demon's attack just barely. His claws caught the man's beanie, ripping it off to reveal his target's bright pink hair. Shiemi yelped as she covered her head ducking down as the young man pulled her close to protect her. Peaking up the girl blinked when she noticed two little black horns on the top of the young man's head. So he really was a half-demon....they were sort of cute, which was a weird thought to pass through her mind as a demon was attacking her, and a half-demon was protecting her. But weird thoughts tend to pass through your mind when dangerous things come around, or they did for her at least.

“Shit.” He mumbled, his hand going to the top of his head. “I liked that hat...Guess I'm gonna have to fight our way out of this.”

The demon recovered from his previous attack and sliced at the two once more, this time aiming for the man's arm. The claws carved through the pink-haired man's leather jacket and hoodie as if it was butter, leaving him deep scratches on his right arm. He grunted in pain as he fell to the ground with Shiemi, rolling just in time so he landed hard on his shoulder thus taking most of the impact instead of the young woman.

“Owowow.” He grunted. “Oh that fucking hurts!”

He sat up with Shiemi, placing a hand over his new wounds. The demon circled them, watching the pink-haired young man more than Shiemi. It seemed as if he was waiting for something to happen, rather than attacking again. The young woman licked her lips and moved closer to the young man.

“A-are you okay?” She asked gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yep, I'm fine.” He groaned glancing down at her. “Don't worry about me; I've had worse.”

Before she could say another word he shot up to his feet, wiping his bloody hand on his pant leg in the process. “Just stay right there and I'll fix everything!”

Shiemi watched as he rushed forward, throwing a punch at the demon who dodged it by twisting his head to the right. This caused the young man to dodge a swipe at his head, ducking down low. He threw a heavy punch to the demon's gut who growled in response and didn't stumble one bit. The demon grabbed Shiemi's savior by the throat and tossed him across the alleyway towards a pile of trash next to a dumpster.

She winced when he screamed, landing in a pile of trash, with his back hitting the large dumpster. The loud clanging sound of his body hitting the metal side of the dumpster echoed through the alleyway, making Shiemi hope he was okay. The demon stalked towards the young man who groaned as he laid there, dazed by the hit, only to yelp in pain when he was grabbed by his short hair. Shiemi squeaked when the demon smashed the man's face against the wall, a twisted smile on his face. He did this again and again until he dropped the mysterious man to the ground who laid there, moaning slightly in pain.

Trying her best not to cry Shiemi, ripped her bag open. There must be something she could do to help this man! She couldn't just sit there and watch him get beaten to death!

Shiemi always kept an extra small bottle of specialized pepper spray along side her normal one in her bag for situations like this. Not only was it effective against humans, it had been modified so the chemical would burn and blind demons as well, just long enough for her to get away. You could never be careful after all.

Her fingers touched the round object, making relief flood through her body. She pulled it out, making sure it was the demon kind, and turned back to where she knew the demon was. Part of her expected him to be right in her face when she turned, done with beating her rescuer to death. Instead she found him actually getting beaten back by the mysterious man.

While he was bleeding from the head, his punches were landing rather than just being dodged as before. She couldn't quite see the look on his face thanks to all the shadows cast from the buildings surrounding the alleyway, but she was so happy to see him up on his feet. Silently she figured it must have been a serious expression given how hard he was hitting the demon. The nasty sound of the demon's nose being crushed when her rescuer punched him straight in the face reached her ears, making her wince. Stumbling to her feet Shiemi approached the fight with caution, and pepper spray in her hands.

The demon snarled at the young man as he finally dodged a punch and sliced at his head. The mysterious man ducked down, dodging the swipe aimed for his head. Shiemi rushed forward at this, pointing her bottle of pepper spray at the demon's face.

“H-hey!!” She screamed, getting his attention.

A growl erupted from the demon's throat as it locked eyes with Shiemi, who pressed down on the pepper spray's button, spraying out the chemical out towards the demon. It hit the demon right in the eyes, splattering across his face. A hissing sound with a scream of pain came to Shiemi's ears next at the demon fell to his knees holding his face. He tried to wipe off the burning chemical with his hands, only to scream more when it started to burn his hands as well. Whatever was in her pepper spray was powerful from the looks of it, which was good because it probably just saved her butt.

The mysterious man rushed forward after that, slamming the demon down on the ground, with his hand raised above his head, and his knees straddling the demon's waist. He slammed his hand down on the demon's chest, keeping him down. This was about when Shiemi noticed he looked different than he had before. The small horns she had seen earlier were now much longer and his ears were long and pointed as well. He even had a tail swishing around him, showing how angry he was at the demon. She wasn't exactly sure how to react to his sudden change, other than to stare and silently think he sort of looked...cool? Yes, she decided he looked quite cool...and still attractive in a weird way.

“I tried to get you to let us go.” He snarled. “But since you couldn't do that I have no other choice than to do this. Can't have you talking about having met me.”

Shiemi took a step back from him, covering her mouth while barely suppressing a scream at what she saw. A deep black fire burst out of the demon's, mouth and eyes as it screamed in even more pain than before. It sounded as if it was being burned alive! The black fire seemed to envelop her rescuer as well who seemed unaffected by this mysterious flame. Instead he just glared down at the demon, his features twisted into a feral snarl, showing his fangs. Dark markings, reminding Shiemi of tribal like tattoos, appeared on his face as the mysterious black fire burned around him. For whatever reason it wasn't his horns or markings that frightened her. It was the dark fierce look of utter hate on his face; it was completely different than what she had seen previously. She didn't know a person like _him_ could make such a scary face.

She didn't know how to react the flames, watching the scene before her in terrified fascination. Shiemi wanted to scream, and run away but was glued to her spot watching as the fire slowly die as the screaming stopped. The young man was panting by the time the flame completely disappeared; his body shaking as he stood up to his feet as the demon just laid there, unmoving as his attacker moved away from him. The markings on his face slowly faded after the fire disappeared.

For a moment he covered his face with his hands, taking in deep breaths in and letting them out slowly. She didn't know how long she stood there watching him, get control of himself, wondering to herself if he was okay. Licking her lips Shiemi took a step towards him, noticing his body was still shaking despite his breathing going back to a normal pace. Silently she placed a hand on his shoulder.

His reaction was instant, twisting around to stare at her with wide frightened eyes. They were a strange shade of gold now instead of the tired brown they had been when she first met him. She had expected some sort of anger or maybe some kind of hungry look like the demon that had caught her had in his eyes when she touched him. Instead all she saw was pure fear, that died down the minute he recognized her, his eyes flashing back into the tired brown from before. Without a second thought he placed a hand on overs hers.

“Are you okay?” He asked, giving her small hand a squeeze. A smile spread across his face instantly.

For a moment Shiemi was surprised by the smiling mask that had popped up quickly on this mysterious man's face. The horns on his head shifted back down to their smaller state, looking small and goat like again. The fangs he had in his mouth had gone back to being small and his ears were short with pointed tips once again. His tail had stopped moving and hung behind him, letting Shiemi get a good look at it now. It's colored a dark gold, long and sleek looking with a pointed tip that reminded the young woman of an arrow. There was a smaller point under it in the same shape as the end, making it look like there are double arrows on the tip. The tip of his tail is a light pink which slowly faded into black; similar to his hair, which now that she looked closer has a few strands of black hair here and there.

Instead of focusing on his strange physical features, the young woman found herself worrying about his mental state after looking him up and down. She had never seen a person cover such a strong emotion so fast and effectively as he had just done before her. Instead of fear, the emotion she probably should have for this man, she felt actual worry for his well-being. No one should be that good at hiding their emotions after all.

Shiemi nodded her head quietly. “Y-yes I'm okay.”

“Good.” He let go of her hand, as she pulled it away, his shoulders relaxing a tiny bit more. “Thanks for the help. I wouldn't have been able to pin him down as fast as I did if you hadn't sprayed that stuff.”

“Um y-you're welcome!” Shiemi blinked for a moment before quickly bowing before him. “Thank you for helping me!!”

“Whoa, whoa.” He jumped at her sudden movement, holding his hands up. “I didn't do much! Just saw that you were having trouble and well sort of jumped before I looked.”

“You saved me!” Shiemi pointed out standing straight up again, shaking her head right away. “That's doing a lot!”

The young man blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well, you're welcome. Just don't mention it to anyone please.”

Shiemi nodded her head, watching him drop his arm at his side. Silently she tilted her head and blinked when she noticed a trickle of blood roll down her rescuer’s face. That was when she remembered he had gotten injured during the fight and gasped.

“O-oh no!” She shot forward going on the tips of her toes to catch his face and make him look down. He didn't wince despite the slight bruise on his face. She turned his face side to side, looking at the few cuts that were there along with the bruises. “You're hurt!”

“I-I'm okay.” He said placing a hand on hers. “Trust me I've had a lot worse.”

The cocky grin that spread across his face made Shiemi's heart hurt. It hurt worse when she remembered him repeating that “I've had worse” line before, and the fear that had been in his eyes just a few seconds ago. Biting her lip Shiemi flipped flopped an idea around her head until she nodded to herself.

She dropped back down to the flat of her feet, and grabbed the pink-haired stranger's hand gently. Without a word she started to drag him down the alley, towards her home.

“Uhh can I help you?” He asked, clearly confused as to what the girl was up to, but still sort of amused.

“You're hurt so I'm taking you home to make sure you get treated right!” Shiemi blurted out. “And I'm not taking a no as an answer.”

She imagined he was smiling, since she heard a soft snort behind her. “If you say so.”

For a moment it felt as if the strange man was hesitant to ask something, but just before they made it to the end of the alley he spoke up. “You know I'm a demon--”

“Half-demon.” Shiemi corrected, glancing back to look at him.

“Right...half-demon...so why are you helping me? I could hurt you easily if I wanted too.” He tilted his head, his voice emotionless. “Snap your neck like a twig without even a second thought...”

“Th-that's not true! I-if it was you wouldn't h-have stopped and helped me. Besides, I have a very good friend who's a half-demon too and he wouldn't hurt a fly if he had a choice!” Shiemi yelled out. She stopped and turned to fully face him with a pleading expression on her face. “Please let me fix your wounds. It's the least I can do.”

He looked away from her with a sigh, a small smile popping up to his lips. “Okay then.” He shrugged his shoulders next.

Shiemi silently nodded her head, before tugging at his hand as she turned to walk to the end of the alley, leaving the demon's body laying there on the ground. For a moment she wondered if there was anything she could do about the body, but quickly decided there wasn't much she could do. If she called the police what would she tell them? Some random half-demon came and saved her by burning a demon alive without actually burning the body? They would lock her up the minute that came out of her mouth so it was better to just leave him there.

And since she didn't really have the number to the True Cross Order's Japan Branch on her – merely having a few numbers from some of their exorcists – she didn't see the point of calling them either.

She glanced back at him again, watching him from the corner of her eye gently tuck his tail back up his shirt. There was a slight blush there, as if he had just realized he had left it out in front of a stranger. It was that simple expression that made Shiemi relax a tiny bit, despite the slight fear that she maybe leading a serial killer to her home.

Shaking her head she decided not to focus on that, and silently hope he wasn't too injured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fic that's been int he works for a while and I just recently got enough of it done for it to be posted. This ship sort of came out at me while I was writing another fic, and I deiced it deserved its own little story and a few more. I want to give a huge big thank you to Lovepsycho who helped out with this a lot. Go read her stuff too its awesome! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed reading this!


	2. Chapter two

It had been a long time since someone held Shima Renzō's hand. The last time had to be when he was a kid, about seven or eight maybe, and his older brother Jūzō was leading him home. His hand had been just as warm as the woman who held it now, but hers was much softer. He could feel a slight tremble come from her hand as they walked, betraying how frightened she was. Or at least that's what Renzō figured she was.

She did just see him basically burn a demon to death so fear should be what a normal person would be feeling, but Renzō suspected the shaking was not from that. After all when everything was said and done she hadn't looked at him with fear, but concern for his well being. This weird young woman hadn't even blinked at his horns or fangs, she just accepted it and moved on. Then again she did mention she knew a half-demon so that was probably why.

' _What a weird girl..._ 'Renzō thought to himself, watching her come to a slow walk when they came to a two-story apartment building. She dragged him up the stairs and to the very end of the balcony where he figured her apartment door was.

The streets had thankfully been empty as they made their way to this new place, which didn't surprise the half-demon. This was the time of night when people were either in bars or in their homes and they had been close to the residential area of Southern Cross. Despite this Renzō had put his hood up to hide his horns, paranoid that maybe someone wold come by and see. His hair was way too bright and nowhere near long enough to hide them effectively and with his beanie gone his hood was the next best option. He had also tucked his tail away before they made it to the end of the alley, making sure no one could see it.

It was sort of strange to think he had been born a normal everyday human...well not _exactly_ normal but he hadn't been a half-demon at least. There was no strong demon blood in his family to his knowledge and there probably would have never been any if he hadn't messed up. It had been one simple mistake that had changed his life forever making him into a forced half-demon freak.

Not to mention he had lost his one and only friend to become what he was. The fact that Yamantaka was dead while he was still alive using his powers to survive would always haunt him.

“Ah...um d-don't mind the mess please...”

The young woman's voice brought him out of his dark thoughts and back into reality, realizing she was pulling him inside of her apartment. For the first few seconds he didn't understand that statement but the moment she flicked on the lights after closing the door he understood it. Plants were just everywhere in this place and they all in their own little pots. Some hung from the top of the ceiling with little hooks installed to hang them there, while others sat in little terracotta pots all around the apartment. The smell of flowers and fresh soil dominated the air around him.

' _...A plant otaku?_ ' Renzō thought to himself, sitting down to take his shoes off after setting his bag by the door. He loved converses, but sometimes they were a pain to take off fast.

His little rescue quickly slipped off her shoes and headed into the place towards the living room, leaving Renzō to himself for the moment. He stood up after tossing his shoes to the side, and decided to explore the apartment. For her age he had expected something smaller but this one was a big bigger than he imagined; it was a 1DK from his quick glances around. To his left was a normal sized kitchen for an apartment like this with a few dirty plates stacked in the sink and a small fridge next to the counter. The combination dinning room and living room area he found himself in was large and was still spacious despite all the plants everywhere. The floor was wood, with a green rug laid out in the middle.

With a window behind it there was a black couch on the left side of the room that faced a small flat screen TV set up on a small stand, with a DVD player next to it. Those two things were probably the most modern thing he saw in the living room given how everything else was sort of focused on plants. In between the TV and couch there was a square little wooden table that surprisingly didn't have any plants on it, but did have a few dirty dishes here and there. Next to the TV stand was a shōji he figured led into her bathroom. Directly across from him was another shōji, a bigger one, that he figured was probably her bedroom, which must be pretty big and nice considering the size of the apartment.

' _Nice apartment..._ ' He poked at one of the hanging plants that was next to the couch, watching it swing a tiny bit. ' _Must have a good job or her parents pay for it._ '

Or she could have a boyfriend who helped with the rent.

For some odd reason that thought really annoyed him...which it shouldn't given that he didn't even know the young woman. Hell he didn't even know her name...

Renzō ran a hand through his hair(mindful of his horns of course), as that annoyed feeling just stuck with him. Rationally he shouldn't care; he shouldn't even be here. If he had been smart, he would have kept walking despite hearing the girl's protests and he wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. But he couldn't and here he was....

Besides if she did have a boyfriend where the hell was he? He should have been walking her home rather than letting her walk home alone!

Glancing back at the genkan assured Renzō very quickly that she lived alone (discounting his shoes there was only one pair there) so that annoyance disappeared fast. He even let out a soft sigh of relief, which he would have questioned if she hadn't come back out from the kitchen at that moment.

The blonde had a first aid box in her hand as she walked over to him quickly. “S-sit down please!” she requested.

Renzō smiled a little as he did as he was ordered and sat down on the couch, while the young woman cleaned the plates off the low table. Well she just set them off to the side on the floor but at the moment it didn't matter. The box was placed on top of the coffee table with Shiemi taking a seat on it next, tucking her legs under her.

“Please take your jacket and hoodie off.” She asked, the stutter gone once she opened the box, digging through it.

“Okay.” Slowly Renzō slipped his leather jacket off, wincing at the pain in his right shoulder.

His wounds should have been healed by this point, but for whatever reason they were still bleeding, and stung painfully too. It was nothing he couldn't handle of course, but he figured the demon that had attacked him must have had some kind of poison. Which explained why he circled them at one point; he was waiting for the poison to take effect rather than straight out attacking them.

That was one thing he could sort of be thankful of; his healing factor. It wasn't as strong as some demons but it was good enough and kept him moving even if he was poisoned. Allowed him to recover from it too on most occasions.

The blonde dug through the first aid box, taking out a few things he recognized and some he didn't. Gauze, cotton pads, bandages, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol was littered around on the small table next to her, with a few jars of things he didn't know. Looking around at the plants he wondered if most of them were herbs for medicine seeing as she seemed prepared.

With his hoodie off Renzō pushed his sleeve of his t-shirt up, exposing the nasty scratches he had received to the air. He flinched as he looked at the wound, seeing the discolored purple skin around the four scratches in his shoulder. Yep, he had definitely been poisoned that's for sure. Sort of reminded him of when he saw pictures of snake bite when he was younger.

Not to mention that one time Mamushi sicced one of her snakes on Jūzō. Last he heard, those two were getting _married_ which was definitely one of the great mysteries of the world.

“I thought you were poisoned.” The young woman said more to herself than to Renzō, dragging his mind back to the present.

She leaned forward, to examine the wounds a bit more with latex gloves on her hands. He barely moved at her poking and prodding, used to pain ten times worse than this. Normally he probably would have put on a whole crying show about how it hurt and junk like that but for whatever reason he was sort of entranced by the girl next to him.

Renzō was a master at hiding his feelings, a talent he had discovered and honed when he had been young. Hell he could have said he made it a damn art form with how he hid his emotions perfectly. There weren't many things in this world that could distract him enough so he couldn't put up his normal happy go lucky mask, and one of them sat right across from him.

He wouldn't deny she smelled wonderful with the odd mix of herbs, flowers and fresh soil that drifted off her skin as a kind of personal perfume. It was enough to make him keep his face blank as he watched her clean his wounds, rather than make up some fake whining about how his arm hurt. He wanted to just bury his nose right at the nape of her neck and breath in deep with how good she smelled.

Renzō couldn't help but wonder why he found himself attracted to this young woman he had just met. Though he was pretty sure it was more out of curiosity than anything else. She was a very interesting individual after all. Not only did she know about demons, she also carried around pepper spray that was anti-demon, and had her entire apartment was filled with probably anti-demon pharmacology plants. She was a pretty good medic seeing as she knew how to take care of wounds like his as if they were nothing. But most importantly...she wasn't afraid of him.

That seemed to resonate deep within the half-demon for some odd reason and put him at ease. Despite being on the run for about a year and on his own, he was still wary of any and everyone around him. But that was a given seen as what had happened to him... how he became a half-demon in the first place. It wasn't stupid to be cautious of everyone around him. It was his instincts taking over and making sure he survived and lived. He listened to them, and thanks to that he had been able to actually live and be somewhat normal again. His life would never go back to how it originally had been, but he was free and away from everything that had ruined his life in the first place.

Instead of the usual fear and caution he felt around people, for some odd reason Renzō was feeling ones that were the compete opposite of those. Emotions _and_ urges that he wished would shut up, at the moment seeing as he didn't even know her freaking _name_!

“What's your name?”

The simple question brought Renzō out of his annoyed thoughts and back into reality. For a moment all he could do was stare at her, wondering what she had asked. Glancing down at his arm he noticed it was all bandaged up perfectly, and no longer stung. A throb of dull pain coursed from the wound, but at least it didn't feel like it was on fire anymore. He would probably have to put some ice on it, but he would worry about that later.

The young woman seemed to have noticed he hadn't quite heard her question, as she leaned back a tiny bit. She was staring at his head, where another scratch laid, just above his scar. Her face was a bit red as she shifted in her spot on the coffee table.

“Um...s-sorry to ask. I-I mean you probably don't want me to know your name a-and I'm probably just annoying you.” She stuttered, fiddling with her gloves a tiny bit.

“You didn't do anything wrong.” Renzō replied shrugging his shoulders. “It's Shima Renzō. What's yours?”

She blinked at him, before smiling brightly. “It's Moriyama Shiemi. It's nice to meet you Shima-kun.”

For a moment Renzō was a bit taken back by such a bright smile, trying to remember the last time someone had smiled at him like that. His his heart started to beat loudly in his ears, as he did his best not to blush. He only sort of succeed, seeing as his cheeks did turn a light pink, since Shiemi didn't seem to notice.

“Hold still while I clean up the cut on your forehead.” Shiemi requested gently, going up on her knees to get a better view of his forehead. Renzō barely resisted the urge to jump back at her touch, and forced himself to keep still, as her fingers lightly touched his injury.

If his heart wasn't beating fast before, it sure was now. The beat seemed to thunder in his ears, as he breathed in her scent, and felt the warmth of her body radiate off of her. Renzō swallowed quietly as he blinked his eyes, and sat as still as he could, not realizing his tail had slipped out of his shirt and was wagging behind him just a tiny bit.

Shiemi had been cute the minute he saw her, now...well he wasn't sure if he felt she was a bit more than just cute. He couldn't remember the last time he had been with a woman, so maybe that was why his body was reacting this way. The heat that settled in his lower abominable was familiar but also foreign feeling to him after so long. After all he had isolated himself away from everyone regardless of gender; putting up a mask so no one could get close to him so he wouldn't get hurt again. Even with that habit in mind Renzō felt comfortable around Shiemi despite just learning her name. She seemed like a genuine kind and sweet person which was a rarity in Renzō's experience.

Not to mention she was quite attractive. She was small and slim but at the same time she had a bit more weight to her which balanced out with her how large her breasts were. While they weren't the biggest he'd seen they were a bit bigger than most girls and Renzō couldn't help but notice. Her face held this innocence light that Renzō found himself just fascinated with, and her eyes were such a pretty green. This girl just had to have a boyfriend somewhere, she was too sweet and cute not to have one!

Renzō felt his heart twist at that, feeling like he was intruding into her life somewhat.

“Hey...Moiryama-chan?” He glanced up at her, to see her pause for a moment before going back to cleaning his wound.

“Yes Shima-kun?” She tilted her head a bit before sticking out her tongue as she focused on his head.

“How do you know about demons?” He asked, his lips turning up into a small smile. That was a cute little expression she had on her face; he liked how determined she looked.

“My family owns a supply shop and works with the Exorcists from True Cross.” Shiemi explained. “You know about them right?”

“Yeah I do.” He resisted the urge to nod his head. Sort of hard not to know about some guys like Exorcist from True Cross who had been his “enemies” once. But that had been a long time ago, and he never held any real malice against them. He just sort of knew they existed and avoided them seeing as he was a half-demon.“Are you an exorcist?”

“No, but I thought about becoming one for a while.” She sighed a little bit. “But well, some stuff came up and I had to help my kaa-san with the shop for a few years. It just calmed down enough so I could go out and learn a bit more so that's why I'm here. I'm working for a good friend of my family who runs a sister supply shop.”

“So you live alone?” He glanced up at her, watching her finish up by covering the cut with a bandage.

“Yeah I do.” She smiled down at him, sitting back down on her legs. “All done!”

Renzō felt a smile come to his lips as he watched her take off the gloves, tossing them in a trashcan by the TV.

“Thank you.” He replied rubbing the back of his head.

“No thank you!” Shiemi shot up to her feet, smiling oh so sweetly at him. “You're the one who saved me, it's the least I could do!”

“Well it was either save you or let you get eaten so I wasn't about to let that happen to such a cute girl!” Renzō laughed, standing up himself. His mask had finally slid into place with her putting some space between them. That made him relax, knowing that he could put it up around her...sort of.

“C-cute? I-I'm not cute no way!” Shiemi shook her head.

“Don't kid yourself, you're very cute!” Renzō teased poking her forehead gently.

Shiemi blushed as she covered her forehead with her hands, letting her gaze dip down to the floor. She shifted under his gaze, after letting her arms fall to her side after a second.

“Um...is...is there anything I could do to thank you for saving me?” Shiemi asked softly. She gripped her hands into fists, as she blushed a shade darker.

Renzō frowned at that, trying not to snort in disapproval. And there went his mask...he really needed to get away from this young woman if she could do that to him. “You patched me up. That's enough of a pay back for me honestly.”

“A-are you sure?” She asked her head shooting up, her eyes looking right into his.

Shiemi looked hopeful that maybe there was something else she could do for him. Renzō sighed as he rubbed the back of his head thinking about it before shrugging his shoulders. He gave up, it was far too troublesome to fight against his interest in this strange person before him.

“...Would you mind if I stayed here for a night? I was just about to head over to a....ho...hotel when I came across you and your attacker.” Renzō let his hand drop to his side, a slight blush came to his cheeks as he looked away from her. He was lying through his teeth and actually had originally meant to be out of town by now. If not, he would have crashed in some hole of a place, out of sight of normal people. He was on the run after all so staying in one place was stupid, but she didn't need to know that. “I mean if it wouldn't be too much of a problem for you...”

“Oh not at all! I mean if you don't mind having the couch. I only have my one room--”

“The couch would be perfect.” Renzō grinned at her. “It would be more than perfect enough honestly.” ' _Considering I expected to be sleeping on concrete with maybe a ratty blanket for warmth, it's way better than anything I've had for years._ '

“Great! I'll go get you some blankets and a pillow then.” Shiemi went towards the sliding door, opening it quickly before disappearing inside.

Silently Renzō let out a sigh of relief as he flopped down on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table. Exhaustion from the fight and poison was eating at him already as he sat there rubbing his temples silently, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.

He shouldn't be staying here, even if it was only for one night. The half-demon knew he should be out of this town by midnight heading towards the north, but for some insane reason he couldn't leave. There was just something about the shy young woman that made him want to stay, and get to know her. Plans on how to stay in Southern Cross started roll around his head, all ranging from actually getting a job(something he hadn't had in years) to just moving from place to place in town, while at the same time trying to get to know Shiemi. He knew they were unrealistic and stupid, but a part of him couldn't help but try.

Shiemi was just far to interesting and sweet to just leave alone after all.

* * *

 

Fear was all he could feel as he struggled against the tight leather straps that held him down against the ice cold metal table. Panic was starting to rise inside of him as the straps refused to budge despite all of his struggling and strength. They should break, seeing as they were just ordinary leather straps and he was much stronger than a normal human. But they didn't and in the end he was just rubbing his wrists raw. Probably the leather had been treated in some manner.

That didn't matter...he had to get away. If he didn't get free now he knew what was coming next...

Pain always came next when he was strapped down like this. And it wasn't the kind of pain you could just brush off. The pain that was to come was of the kind nightmares were made of and haunted those who experienced it. It could drive a person insane if it was used right...and he was close to losing his mind.

Whenever his sadistic torturers would cut into him or forced some sort of strange liquid into him the pain would last for days on end and never faded. This sick pain was maddening, but nowhere near the cold fear that seemed to consume him more and more everyday. Pain would come and go in this cold hell; breaking you yes, but it never lasted like fear.

Fear never left him and festered deep inside of his mind making him paranoid of everything.

He grunted and whimpered at the sounds of light footsteps against the metal flooring gritting his teeth when they stopped next to him. The light sound of something being picked up from a metal tray made his stomach drop. For a moment he stopped struggling and was frozen, waiting for _him_ to appear above him with that disgusting sadistic grin of his.

“Oh Renzō-kun~ I hope you're well rested for today, seeing as we're going to have quite busy schedule for you.”

He wanted to scream the moment _his_ face appeared above him with a syringe full of some strange unknown liquid that was sure to destroy everything that was left of his sanity. It felt as if his mouth was sewn shut as he watched the syringe's needle slowly push into his skin. He grit his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ready himself for what was next as he felt the clear liquid be pushed into his system. He felt like he was on fire as pain rushed through out this body instantly, throbbing each time his heart beat.

He screamed.

* * *

 

Renzō shot straight up, screaming as he awakened from his nightmare. It took a good minute for his mind to catch up with reality and realize he was in Shiemi's living room, not in some twisted laboratory strapped to a table. He was drenched in a cold sweat as pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes, trying to block out the memory and hold back the tears that threaten to poor down his cheeks.

Nightmares like that were common for the half-demon. While he didn't get them every night like he used to, they still haunted him. They always would haunt him until the day he died, which wasn't going to happen any time soon if he kept his spirits up. Though lately, an escape from reality forever did seem to be a nice option opposed to constant nightmares and living in fear he might just be pulled back to that cold metal table and those cruel hands.

Renzō shuddered at that thought curling himself up a tighter ball, as he grit his teeth. Tears started to roll down his cheeks.

“S-Shima-kun a-are you okay?”

Lifting his head up he noticed Shiemi was kneeling down next to the couch, a worried expression plastered across her face. Silently she reached out and placed a warm hand on his shoulder, hesitating when he flinched away but placing it anyways.

Without a second thought he pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face at the nape of her neck. Their position was awkward but he didn't care, he just needed to _hold_ someone just for a moment. He knew she would push him away, like any sane person would, but for a moment it was nice to be able to hold someone as warm as she was. Renzō felt Shiemi's arms move, and he readied himself for her to shove him off and call him weird. He would have done it if she was in her position. After all he was just some homeless guy she let stay the night because he saved her. She wouldn’t want him hanging all over her, crying like some useless kid.

But instead of pushing him away she gently wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him gently in a soft hug. Renzō stiffened at her touch, briefly wondering what the hell was going on. A normal person would have shoved him away...not hug him in return. When she started to rub his back gently, he felt himself relax against her with his grip tightening just a tiny bit.

Embarrassingly the tears kept falling down his cheek, making him strangle a sob in an attempt to hold it in. Shiemi made no attempt to stop him from crying or even mentioned it. She was unaffected by the noise or perhaps just didn't care that he was crying. After all he was a full grown man and here he was sobbing like a child; most would have made fun of him or at least told him to stop. Instead this strange young woman just rubbed his back, squeezing him tighter when she felt like he needed it and leaned her head against his.

Somehow Shiemi ended up in his lap by the time he stopped sobbing and felt confident enough to lean back. He wasn't exactly sure how she ended up there, figuring she must have moved there so it was a bit easier for the both of them to hug each other. Renzō was damn sure hadn't pulled her up there, but accepted her spot regardless. Shiemi seemed comfortable enough right there with her legs straddling his hips. Either that or she just didn't notice their position and was focused on other things.

He would have cared more if he wasn't trying to avoid eye contact with her out of pure embarrassment of just everything. Geez...he had never cried around any one like this, not since he was about six at least. His cheeks were wet, and snot was running down his nose; he must look _so_ mature.

Renzō sniffed as he wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand, leaning a bit forward as he drew his knees up behind Shiemi. Silently she reached up and cupped his face with her hands, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. The pink-haired half-demon avoided eye contact as he let her do what she wanted, distracted by the million of questions running around in his head as he tried to figure out which one to ask first. He sighed softly when he decided on one, shifting a bit so he laid his forearms on his knees as he leaned forward towards the young woman.

“Why are you comforting me?” He asked, wincing internally at how his voice cracked. Outside he kept his face blank as he watched her own stay the same concerned. A poker face was important in situations like this or at least they were for him. “You don't even know me...”

“You were screaming in your sleep,” Shiemi began, clearly taking her time in choosing her words wisely. “Then you started to cry when you woke up...Even if I didn't know you I couldn't just sit there and let you suffer all alone. It wouldn't be right.”

“You still don't know me.” Renzō tilted his head, confused by her statement. “A normal person wouldn't help me...”

“Well I'm not really a normal person in the first place besides,” a light smile popped up on her face, “I know who you are. You're Shima Renzō.”

He resisted the urge to snort as he stared at the girl shaking his head. “You just know my name silly...”

“A name's better than nothing.” Shiemi beamed placing her hands in her lap as she leaned against his knees. “And besides, who says I don't want to get to know you a bit better than just your name.”

He stared at her, unsure of how to answer that and swore he felt his heart skip a beat. Renzō dropped his eyes down to the floor, narrowing them as he pushed down that fluttering excited feeling inside his stomach that popped up whenever he looked into her ( _gorgeous_ ) green eyes. Fear settled in next to that strange fluttering, and weighed it down as he hesitated to ask a question that had been bugging him since she discovered what he actually was.

The silence that drifted between them was thick with tension as the half-demon licked his lips. Lifting up his head he looked her in the eyes, keeping his face blank. He did not want to betray the fear that spread through him.

“...You know I'm half-demon...why...why aren't you afraid of me?”

His eyes never left Shiemi's as he watched her blink in confusion. Her back straightened as she tilted her head, clearly thinking on how to answer that. Renzō felt his heart skip a beat as a bright smile spread across her lips as she decided on an answer.

“Because any person who stepped up and helped me like you did has to be good. Besides just because you're a half-demon doesn't mean I should be afraid of you in the first place.”

Renzō's eyes widened at her answer, as his heart started to freak out inside his chest. It thundered in his ears as his body moved on its own after hearing those kind words. In a blink of an eye his hand had shot out, cupping behind Shiemi's neck as he crashed his lips against hers in a heavy kiss. He barely registered the soft clink of teeth between them, more focused on how soft her lips were against his.

At first Shiemi was stiff, frozen in her spot on his lap with him kissing her but slowly she relaxed and finally returned it. Renzō felt his hair stand on in as he tangled his fingers in her soft hair, feeling her lips move against his. While just a tiny bit hesitant in her kissing, he couldn't help but let hope spring up inside of him, feeling as if her hesitation was more from inexperience than anything else. She didn't feel like she was scared of him, she had said the exact opposite before the impromptu kiss after all...Silently his arm wrapped around her waist, pushing her closer against him, as he nibbled gently at her lower lip.

She opened his mouth, hesitating only for a moment before letting him slip his tongue between her soft lips, moaning lightly in return. Shiemi was just inexperienced he thought as she shyly moved her tongue against his; gently brushing against it as he took it slow, not wanting to scare her. She tasted sweet, a bit like a strawberry candy treat he use to always eat when he was younger. He quickly discovered he couldn't get enough of that taste as he slid against her warm tongue with his own.

It felt like his mind was going in circles as he moved his mouth against hers, breaking apart just for a moment to get some air before going right back in. Renzō couldn't remember the last time he kissed someone like this, just realizing it hadn't been this sloppy. Drool dripped down Shiemi's mouth and his own, as he teased her enough to get her to be adventurous and thrust her tongue into his mouth. Her arms slipped around his neck, pressing him closer as she gained more confidence. He himself just wanted to press every inch of her against his own body, craving the heat that drifted off of her.

The last time Renzō found himself this passionate about someone had been years ago, before everything had gone straight to hell. He had isolated himself after that, cutting off all ties he had to people and lived on his own. That was nothing new really for him in the end. He may act like a social butterfly but in the end Renzō was a compete fake when it came to actually getting close to someone. The half-demon could read a person like a book but get close to them personally? Near impossible feat for him, especially now with being a half-demon. Having physical horns tended to scare away women and people in general.

But for whatever reason the young woman that he was currently making-out with passionately seemed to brush past that without a care, making him actually want to _know_ her. And not just socially either. With the way she was squirming on his lap it was starting to drive him a bit over the edge. Getting to know her physically as well was sounding _very_ nice.

Renzō broke the kiss panting as he tried to get control of himself, taking time to look into her half-dazed stare. He quickly threw that idea out of the window after seeing that and focused on the very tantalizing young woman sitting in his grasp. The half-demon leaned down, leaving a trail of hot open mouth kisses on her throat before stopping at the nape of her neck. He gently bit down earning him a gasp, before starting to suck at the sensitive skin there. Shiemi's grip around his neck tightened as she moved around in his grip, clearly unsure of how to react to this attention. This only threw more gasoline onto the fire that was burning inside of Renzō.

He rolled his hips against Shiemi's, making her moan softly at the feeling that rushed through her body.

“Sh-Shima--”

Renzō kissed her, cutting her off before she could say his name. He didn't want to hear her be polite, he wanted the exact opposite of that. This kiss was shorter compared to the other two, with him stopping to sit back and stare into her eyes. Her lips were puffy and her eyes were cloudy with what he could only assume was lust. He probably looked the same as she did, maybe a bit more in control than she.

“Renzō,” He stated between pants. “Just Renzō...please?”

For a moment she seemed confused by his request, not sure how to react to it. Then a soft smile spread across her lips as she nodded in agreement.

“Renzō then.” She cupped his face with her hands, and leaned forward to place a light kiss on his lips. His heart was beating faster at how sweet and innocent the kiss had been, making him wonder how it hadn't burst out of his chest by this point. “Renzō.”

The half-demon pulled her into a heavy kiss once more, wrapping his arm around her lower back, while his hand trailed up her side to cover her breast. He squeezed it gently, rubbing his thumb over her nipple through the fabric. Shiemi made a squeaking noise in the back of her throat as she shuddered against him, her fingernails digging into his back. He squeezed her ass, breaking their kiss and panting against her lips.

Almost shyly she pressed a kiss to his jaw, then another against his neck. She continued this until she made it to the nape of his neck where she bit gently, making him jump in surprise. Renzō couldn't help but smirk at her trying to be adventurous, finding it cute. That quickly turned to sexy when she finally gained enough confidence to move her hips against him instead of just squirming. He was already hard by then, his erection straining against his boxers.

It was near impossible for Shiemi not to notice him poking her given their position and movements, making him wonder why she hadn't said anything. Then again given how shy she seemed she was probably embarrassed...which made him smirk a tiny bit. Renzō liked teasing people and in his experience shy girls made the best expressions and noises once they let go.

It was at this point he realized what exactly was she wearing, and felt himself gulp. It was just a simple white yukata with an obi hastily tied around it to keep it closed. It may have been closed before but now the yukata was barely covering her breasts and hanging on to her shoulders. Renzō dipped his head down lightly kissing her neck, then trailing down to her chest. Shiemi whined lightly tensing just a bit as she watched him before shakily pulling him back up for another intense kiss. In the end the yukata was nice but he couldn't help but think about how much nicer it would look on the floor next to his clothing at the moment.

Feeling her press herself against his chest made him grunt, and groan as his he felt his cock twitch as her hips met his. It was almost painful thanks to how she kept rubbing up against it, and it was that particular feeling that made him stand, picking Shiemi up with him.

She squeaked in surprise and wrapped her arms and legs around him tight, not wanting to fall clearly. Her eyes were still glazed over, but were wider now thanks to his movements and looked at him curiously.

“Bedroom. Now.” Renzō stated without a second thought. He was at the door in a blink of an eye, sliding it open, then closed it once he was in.

He found and set her down on her futon gently, happy to see the blankets had been moved off to the side. Shiemi pushed herself up onto her elbows, watching Renzō take his shirt off and toss it off to the side. She bit her lip, her eyes never leaving his chest as she rubbed her thighs together. He caught her eyes and smirked making her jump in surprise at the fact she had been caught staring. She looked away from him as knelt down, leaning forward on his hands and kissed her with a strange urgency.

Sex wasn't a foreign thing to Renzō, it was far from that. A few years ago he used to have casual little encounters all the time like they were nothing. They _had_ been nothing then. Just a way to kill time and release some stress that had been building up inside of him. He never saw the girl after a quick one night stand and there had been a time when he would have kept that up. Somehow this was different from then even if most of those said encounters did sort of start like this.

Renzō resisted the urge to shake his head, trying to focus on other things, breaking their kiss by leaning back. It wasn't that hard to distract himself from those thoughts as his hands trailed up Shiemi's thigh slowly, enjoying the smooth skin he found there. Shiemi shivered in response, sitting up a bit more once she felt him tug on her yukata. He pulled it down her arms, exposing her chest to the cool air of her room.

There was a dim glow coming from the lamppost behind Shiemi's apartment that gave him a bit of light to work with. It peaked into the small bedroom window just enough to let him see her without having to turn a light on.

He knew she was large in the chest area just by looking at her with normal clothing on, but this was much nicer. Prettier in fact.

Shiemi in turn was a bright red all the way down to her chest, which made Renzō smirk playfully. It was sort of cute how she avoided eye contact, but at the same time was frozen stiff. She didn't move to cover herself instead just looked up at him almost as if she expected him to say something. He did discover quite quickly that he did like what he saw, especially out in the open. Her breasts were too nice to be covered all the time in his opinion.

“S-sorry...” She mumbled, her eyes dropping down when he said nothing.

Renzō snickered. “Sorry about what? That you're very attractive? Because don't have to be sorry about that.”

“N-no bu-mph!”

He cut her off with a kiss, leaning down more until she laid completely flat on the futon. The half-demon situated himself between her legs, laying a hand on her breast while the other went to her thigh. Shiemi gasped lightly against his mouth as he began to rub her breast gently. He ran his thumb over her nipple, teasing it lightly as he pulled back from the kiss. Shiemi hissed, when he slowly licked at her perked nipple before taking into his hot mouth.

She twitched and whimpered at the attention, her hands tangling in her hair as he sucked, and nipped at her breast. Her face was still that bright red flush as he pulled back, placing quick small kisses down her stomach stopping when his chin brushed against her yukata. He tugged on the obi, untying it with ease and pulled the garment open. The half-demon blinked and leaned back when she shot up and quickly shrugged the yukata off, throwing it to the side. He hadn't expected that from her. He resisted the urge to laugh and instead kissed her lips, pushing her back gently until Shiemi was right back down on the futon.

Renzō was kissing her stomach again, licking at her navel and listening to her soft sighs before moving a bit lower. Looking back up at her as he settled between her legs Renzō did his best not to laugh at the way her eyes seem to dart from him, then to the other places around the room until settling down back on him.

“Just too damn cute...” He murmured against her thigh, kissing it gently.

“D-don't tease me...” Shiemi whined covering her face. She gasped when his thumb touched her lightly though the fabric of her panties. “P-please d-don't!”

Renzō laughed. “Aww but it's too much fun! I can't help myself honestly.”

His hands gently took hold of her panties, pulling slowly as he took his time sliding them down her legs, making her wiggle. They too disappeared off into the night, leaving Renzō a perfect view of her entire body. He grinned, glancing up at Shiemi who still had her face covered, too embarrassed to look at him. His hand caressed her stomach, as he left small kisses at her navel feeling her shudder at the attention. Gently he pushed her legs apart, his fingers sliding down her thighs in a slow teasing way.

She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut when he slipped a finger into her. Without warning she pulled him up into a kiss, pushing her tongue past his lips. Renzō's eyes widened at the kiss, before drifting close as he returned it with as much passion as she gave. She was dripping wet as he rubbed her making soft moans come from the young woman which was muffled ever so slightly by their kiss.

Renzō would swear she was too sweet for him with the way she shuddered and moved against him. He wasn't sure how long he could hold back when she broke their kiss to groan as he slipped a second finger into her, pumping slowly. The urge to take her, to fuck her into the futon was growing and spreading through him like a live fire. It pooled right below his stomach, a familiar warmth to the half-demon.

Shiemi whimpered when he pulled his fingers out from her, squirming in her spot as Renzō moved away from her. Her eyes slowly opened to see what he was doing, and watched him with a dazed stare as his hands went to his boxers.

Her face turned an even brighter shade of red when she realized what he was doing. Shiemi's hands were at her face, covering it as he slowly pulled them down. With him completely exposed the young woman peaked between her fingers, trying not to scream or squeal. That of course was a losing battle as a soft squeak escaped her throat as she caught sight of his cock before closing her eyes.

“Shiemi.” Renzō ran a hand down her side settling at her hip and squeezed it, getting her attention and bring her out of her thoughts.

Biting her lip, she slowly lowered her hands and peaked an eye open. He was smiling softly at her, amused by her reaction. Hesitantly she sat up and reached out placing a hand on Renzō's chest, slowly moving down it until her hand rested on his hip. Gulping, and shaking a bit, she reached out with her other hand and wrapped it around his erection barely touching it. Renzō twitched and grunted in response, making her heart skip a beat. His hand wrapped around hers, slowly moving it up and down as he shuddered in response.

Her hand was so soft and hot as she moved it, making him close his eyes in pleasure. It wasn't overwhelming thanks to her barely touching him, but gave him an odd sensation of warmth throughout his body. Shiemi's hand at his hip moved around to his back, running it up then trailing it down slowly scratching her nails lightly against his skin. He leaned down at that, catching her lips in a soft kiss.

Renzō let out a gasp as her fingers lightly hit the base of his tail, making him freeze and squeeze her hand. He gritted his teeth as pleasure shot through every nerve in his body, each time her hand brushed against it. Reaching behind him he caught her hand intertwining his fingers with hers as he brought it back kissing it lightly. He took her other hand off of his erection, smiling down at the confused look she gave him as he let go of both her hands. Renzō ran his thumb over Shiemi's lips, before pressing his own against hers in a soft kiss.

He leaned back just a bit; his hand slowly tracing the curve of her hips before spreading her legs wider as he settled between them. His hand squeezed her hips gently as he slowly slid into her.

Renzō's breath hitched as velvet warmth surrounded him, making him shudder as pleasure raced through him. She was wet, and oh so deliciously warm as he savored the feeling of being inside of her as his chest heaved. He felt Shiemi move under him, making him freeze. Looking at her face he swallowed, watching as she opened her mouth then closed as he felt her body tense. Her hand squeezed his as her eyes closed and her hips wiggled. His body itched to move at that but he shoved it down as he watched a bit of what he thought was pain pass across her face.

“Are you alright?” He asked breathlessly. Had he gone too fast and hurt her?

Shiemi nodded her head, eyes squeezed shut as her hair stuck to her cheeks thanks to the sweat on her body. The word **beautiful** stuck in his mind as he watched her open her dazed green eyes and look into his. His heart thundered in his ears as she reached out to cup his cheek.

“I-I'm okay...” She rubbed his cheek with her thumb as a small smile spread across her lips. “J-just surprised me that's all!”

Renzō chuckled, nodding his head slowly. “Alright then, I'm going to start moving.”

Shiemi's hand dropped down to his arm, squeezing it as he slowly started to thrust into her. A loud moan came as her arm hooked around his neck. Her hand moved away from his to tangle in his hair tugging each time he pushed into her. He kissed her as he felt her dig her nails into his back. Then he let himself get lost in the overwhelming pleasure that spread out through his body.

It had been way to long since he had sex thought as he squeezed her thigh, feeling her start to buck her hips with him. The feeling of being _this_ _close_ to another person was intoxicating, making him crave it more and more each time their hips met. Especially since it was with the girl below him who fascinated him to no end. Here she was trusting him and actually having **sex** with him despite the fact that she barely knew him. Just a few minutes ago they had been nothing but strangers now...he wasn't sure what they were.

The sweet friction between them started to build as he picked up the pace making him groan at the sound of their flesh hitting. A sharp cry came from Shiemi, pulling at his hair when he hit a certain spot within her. He swallowed another scream as he captured her lips in hot kiss. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he moved in her, pushing him closer to her body. His tail wound its way around her leg, while Shiemi dragged her fingers down his arm.

H was close when his movements became frantic and harder, while at the same time trying his best to pull back and not hurt her. Renzō was barely in control as he grit his teeth, pressing his head against her pillow, telling himself over and over not to hurt her. He could never forgive himself if he actually hurt her, part of him starting to regret going this far.

Shiemi cried out as she came, her back arcing as her toes curled and nails dug into his skin. Renzō groaned feeling her squeeze him so tight that made him come deep inside her.

He panted against her neck, frozen as every part of his body tensed before relaxing in that oh so familiar way. It took the half-demon a while to slowly pull himself out of her and drop tiredly next to her; he had enjoyed being inside her far to much. His body felt heavy as he laid there, not even bothering to try to catch his breath or move. It was a good kind of tired, the kind he had missed over the years.

Shiemi's light pants next to him, made him turn his head to look at her. His eyes met with hers, as she rolled to her side smiling at him tiredly. Renzō reached out and brushed her hair from her face, pausing to rub her cheek with his thumb. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his in a soft kiss that made his heart thump and twist in his chest.

Renzō moved to his side, pulling Shiemi close as he reached for the blankets to cover them, feeling the cool night air against his sweaty skin. The young woman curled up next to him, snuggling close for both heat and comfort. He rested his hand on her lower back letting her wrap her arms around his neck. Renzō chose to ignore the stickiness he felt between his legs, deciding it wasn't worth the worry for the moment.

Silently he wished he had thought of a condom while in the heat of the moment, and felt stupid for forgetting something as important as that. Renzō rubbed his forehead sleepily deciding maybe he should just push that thought off for in the morning. Sleep was poking at him more and more with each passing minute, so worrying about anything seemed useless at the moment.

Light snores were what made him sleepily blink and look down at the girl in his arms. He smiled seeing she had fallen asleep against him. Renzō pulled her a bit closer as he felt fatigue poke at him once more.

A part of him wanted to ignore that, telling him to grab his clothes and get out of the hell out of there. He told that part to shut up, as he pressed his lips against Shiemi's forehead in a gentle tired kiss. While it would probably make things ten times less messy later on, Renzō just could not bring himself to do that. He may hardly knew the girl he was holding, but that didn't mean he could leave like that. There was just something about her that pulled him closer, and he wasn't about to just drop that because he got a quick fuck out of her.

Things would be beyond complicated in the morning, there was no way they wouldn't be with what happened between them. For the moment Renzō decided to let that go, and let his body relax.

Soon he fell asleep, curling up around the small young woman in his arms.

* * *

 

The sounds of birds chirping and sunlight hitting his face awoke Renzō the next day, making him groan and pull the covers over his head. Something warm moved in closer to him, nuzzling his chest gently and sleepily. He wrapped himself around the something vaguely realizing it was a person as he buried his nose in their hair. It smelled sweet, like herbs, flowers and even had a hint of soil to it. The scent of sweat almost overpowered it as he felt the person wrap their small arms around him and press their body more against him. Who ever this person was it was clearly a woman as he felt her breasts press against his bare chest, making him briefly wonder what was going on.

What the hell had he done last night?...Oh yeah he had sex with a girl he had just met that very same night...unprotected sex...Shit.

Renzō resisted the urge to jump up, grab his clothes and run like there was no tomorrow. Instead he opened his eyes and glared at the wall directly in front of him as if it was its fault. He would much rather blame the wall for his stupidity and his sex drive but knew it wasn't the wall's fault. It was all his...which made him sort of want to punch the wall now out of anger.

...His brain was way too tired for this shit but at the same time he couldn't go back to sleep. Not to mention the way Shiemi felt right up against him, naked and warm, was very nice. He wasn't quite ready to give it up yet. It made him feel oddly safe to have the strange young woman in his arms. She was so sweet and innocent that he just wanted to stay there forever. He could forget everything tangled in the sheets with her like this...it was nice.

It was that thought that finally pushed Renzō to get up. He would love to pretend the outside world didn't exists and just sleep but that just didn't sit right for him. Instead he untangled himself from Shiemi gently making sure she didn't wake up. He pulled the blankets over her, watching as she rolled over into his spot sleepily. It made a smile come to his lips before he went around the room to find his clothing.

He felt sweaty and sort of gross, but it was nothing a quick shower and a change of clothes could fix.

Which was what he did before he found himself in the kitchen, dressing in the sweatpants and tee that Shiemi had found for him last night. It was a small little thing, clearly meant for one person, which he didn't mind. Renzō wasn't the greatest cook but he could make damn good fried and scrambled eggs if he did so say himself. And toast. He could make some awesome toast, even without a toaster...which was what he was working with apparently. On the counter was a toaster shaped burn which made his eyebrow quirk up.

“What the hell happened there?” He mumbled, before looking around the kitchen for bread. “Guess I'm making the toast the old fashion way...”

He rubbed the back of his head before going around to look for two skillets, which he found perfectly cleaned. He guessed Shiemi didn't really cook, seeing as nothing was dirty. Either that or she was just a clean person in the kitchen as opposed to the crazy jungle mess in the living room. This girl just kept getting weirder and weirder with each moment. But thank god she had eggs, because he did not feel like heading out to get some, especially since he had lost his hat.

Cooking breakfast seemed like the least he could do seeing as what had happened last night. Renzō wasn't exactly sure what was the exact manners were after having sex with someone was, especially since he usually just upped and left, but he figured breakfast would be nice. Everyone loved breakfast after all.

The house was soon filled with the smell of food being cooked and brought out a sleepy Shiemi. Renzō had heard her sneak behind him to the bathroom to clean up and had decided not to bug her. Given everything she was probably embarrassed by what happened last night, and probably smelled. He knew he had so a bath and nice shower was needed.

When she came out, she was a little less sleepy and was dressed in a light green tank-top with a flower design all over it and white shorts. It was probably one of her pajamas she wore when she didn't want to wear the yukata from last night. They were cute and showed off her bust very nicely so there was no complaint from Renzō.

“G-good morning!” She chirped, smiling awkwardly at Renzō. She blinked when she saw him come up to her with plates in his hand. She looked at the plates and blushed right away. “Oh!! You didn't have to make breakfast! I mean I--”

“Don't worry about it.” Renzō replied with a grin. “It's the least I can do after last night.”

“But...you...” Her face went redder at the mention of last night. Instead of fighting she just nodded her head and took a seat at her small table.

Renzō came by and set down the plate with a piece of toast and a fried egg laid on top of it. He had the same breakfast which he set across from her. The half-demon sat down watching her stare down at the breakfast with her shoulders tense.

“Um...Thank you for the meal!” She cried out picking up the toast with egg. She took a bite of it, and blinked. “This is really good!”

Renzō snorted at that as he started to eat his breakfast. “It's just a simple breakfast. It's not that good.”

“B-but no it is!” Shiemi shook her head. “I mean...sure its simple but it taste really good. Thank you.”

Renzō stared at her smile and blushed ducking his head down a bit. “Y-you're welcome.” He shoved his food into his mouth not wanting to talk for a bit. He was too embarrassed to really say anything else seeing as no one had ever said his cooking was good. Weird, weird, woman...

They ate in silence, with Shiemi sort of staring at Renzō and Renzō just trying to get his shit together. His mask wasn't coming up like it usually did and that was bugging him. Maybe it was because he had sex with the woman or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was he just needed that mask up now so he could actually talk to her and not look like an idiot.

He let out a soft sigh and let his face relax before finally lifting his head to look her straight in the eyes. Renzō smiled, feeling his mask finally come on and felt his body truly relax. For some reason Shiemi just stared at him, her face sort of blank but a bit of worry was coming through. Quietly she pushed her empty plate more on to the table, letting her gaze drop.

“Um...Renzō you don't have to hide everything from me.” She said softly. “I mean we sort of know each other p-pretty well now...”

He blinked at that. “What do you mean?” His smile faltered just a tiny bit surprised by what she had said.

“I mean I don't know you that well but you...you keep putting up these fake emotions whenever you're hurt.” Shiemi explained looking down. “Or I mean I've seen you do it a few times since we met...which hasn't been much but you don't have to do that around me.”

He stared at her feeling his heart jump into his throat for a moment. Renzō had never met someone who had been able to see past his mask or even notice it. It was a strange feeling to realize that someone had but for some reason...it didn't matter. He was going to leave after all so just because one random girl saw through it doesn't mean it meant anything.

“It doesn't really matter though.” Renzō sighed out looking away from her. “I mean after I...”

The realization he really hadn't used a condom hit him square in the face as his eyes widened. He sat straight up, and looked ready to bolt mainly because he was ready to. Then again he had no clue where he was going to run off to since any contraceptive he could get his hands on now would be completely useless. They already did it the previous night with no protection...how could he have been so stupid!?

“Shit!! I completely forgot!” He slammed his hand down on the table as he covered his face with the other. Shiemi jumped at the sound staring at him worriedly.

“F-forgot what?” She asked softly.

“A condom!” Renzō snapped, making her jump back a bit her face red. He hid his face with both hands and leaned against the table. “S-sorry...what I mean is I well..last night I forgot to use a condom and well...I'm really sorry Shiemi...”

“Last night...condom...” She blinked at him as she repeated his words, her mind working stuff out. Then she suddenly screamed and shot up to her feet. “Ahh! I almost forgot!”

Renzō jumped back and dropped his hands from his face as he watched the young woman rush to her fridge and throw it open. She stuck her head inside, clearly looking for something important. The young woman came back out with a small bottle filled with what looked to be green juice. Shiemi popped the top off and chugged it making him stare at her even more. What the hell was this girl doing?

Once she finished she stuck her tongue out in disgust. “Oh gross...this stuff is as nasty as they say it is...”

“What did you just drink exactly?” He remembered seeing it in the back of the fridge when he was looking for eggs but just passed it off as some health drink. Now he was really curious as to what it was to make her freak out like that. Not to mention why she drank it after he started to talk about last night.

Shiemi's face went a bit red as she set the bottle down on the counter. “W-well it's a contraceptive that I make for some extra money. It's sort of like the morning after pill but a bit more effective. You'd be surprised by how many female exorcist come for it.” She laughed awkwardly as she came back to sit across from him. “I guess when you have a job like that sex just happens.”

He felt himself smile at how she had relaxed. Renzō leaned his elbow against the table and rested his chin against it. “Well that's handy and cheap.” The half-demon decided to hide how scared he had been since the issue was resolved now. No point having a freak out if she trusted that green stuff she just drank.

“Yeah! I always keep stocked up on the stuff so I don't ever have to worry.” Her face went bright red as she realized at what exactly. “I mean I've never had to worry about it before until...last...night....” She dropped her head she wiggled in her seat.

Renzō stared as he processed what she had just told him and blinked. “...You...you were a virgin?”

She squeaked and nodded her head.

Now he was blushing and sitting up straight. “Shit...no way. A girl as pretty and sweet as you has to have had at least one boyfriend...”

Shiemi shook her head. “Nope I never had one before. I well...I was really shy back in high school and I was always busy with helping my mom out at our shop so I never had a chance. You were my first.”

“I didn't hurt you did I?” Renzō asked right away.

She blinked and shook her head holding up her hands. “Oh no! It was really..really...um..it was really _good_. I really liked it Renzō...”

That was when he noticed there was a band aid on each of her hands, which made his stomach drop. That hadn't been there the previous night. “What happened here?” He ran his thumb gently over the nearest bandage, looking up at the girl with concern.

“Oh that..um..well I...sort of scratched it on your horns.” She laughed awkwardly.

Renzō looked up at her with hurt in his eyes...he had hurt her. “I'm sorry...these things are such a pain.”

He hated his horns...they were so hard to hide and made it near impossible for him to go out in public without a hat. It was bad enough his hair had turned pink thanks to those wonderful experiments, the horns had just been an extra kick to the teeth reminding him once again he wasn't completely human. He hated all of his inhuman features actually. Horns, ears, fangs, tail...everything.

She blinked before shaking her head, her eyes softening. “You shouldn’t be though. I was the one grabbing and pulling at your head. It was just an accident.” He looked up at her, clearly doubting what she said. “Besides...I think they're cute. A little odd but yeah...cute.”

Renzō stared at her, his eyes widening in shock. No one had ever told him that ever...then again there weren't many people out there who knew he had horns. Renzō's cheeks heated up as he let go of her hand and looked away from her.

“You're weird...” He mumbled, sort of wanting to run away now.

He wasn't exactly sure what to make of this woman...she didn't make sense! Any normal person would be freaked out by his features and reject him, and call him a freak. Here she was telling him his horns were cute and she seemed perfectly okay with him screwing her despite being a half-demon freak.

He needed to get out of here...he couldn't stand being near her anymore. Renzō could feel his mask breaking and it was making him panic. This wasn't normal...no one was this sweet no way no how. He knew better than to believe that. This world was full of shit and people who lied. Genuine nice people were either totally fake or just didn't exists in his experience.

' _She's fake...she's fake..._ ' He started to repeat this in his head. The half-demon let his face go blank as he bit the side of his cheek, using the pain to focus. ' _She's fake, she's fake, she's fake, she's fake._ '

“Renzō?” Her hand landed on his shoulder, bringing him out of his daze. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

He looked at her, eyes wide as his hands started to shake. “I...I...I have to go.”

Renzō jumped up to his feet making Shiemi squeak and fall back onto her butt in surprise. His heart jumped up into his throat once more as he quickly helped her to her feet. He held her hands as he shook, feeling a panic attack bubbling inside of him. It had been a month since his last one, but despite all that time it felt exactly the same. He needed to run, get away from her, be alone or else he would do something he would regret. After all he had already hurt her...he could see bruises from where he had gripped her last night on her hips thanks to her tank-top riding up. Renzō couldn't forgive himself if he hurt her anymore...

He would have snorted if he wasn't trying to freak out since he just realized he didn't consider her a fake. ' _I'm such a fucking idiot..._ '

“Sorry! I-I didn't mean too..I just...” He stumbled over his words closing his eyes and taking his hand away from her. Renzō pressed the heal of his hands against his eyes, urging himself not to cry. “I just have to go...I can't stay...”

He had expected her to agree and push him out,  to kick him out maybe. But instead after a moment of silence the young woman just wrapped her arms around him just as she had last night. Renzō nearly lost it there feeling her warm body wrap around him and hold him again. His arms moved by themselves, doing the same and pulling her as close as he could while burring his nose in her hair. He breat h ed in her  sweet, sweet  smell, feeling a bit of  control come back...what the hell was with this girl? Why did she make him so calm?

“It's okay...Just calm down.” She told him gently. Shiemi started to rub his back making him shudder a bit. “You didn't do anything wrong. You can stay as long as you want.”

He shook his head. “I have to go...I'll just hurt you. I already have...” The half-demon gritted his teeth at the thought. Shiemi was all sweetness, warmth and kindness. He was going to hurt her at this rate. Taint her.

“I'm fine silly.” She replied, a soft laugh coming from her lips. “Please stay.”

That made him pause. “You...you want me to stay?”

“Y-yeah I do. I know that sounds weird but well, I can tell that you're the type of person who wanders a lot and doesn't have a home. It's not much but you're welcome to stay with me even if it's for a short time.” Shiemi pushed back so she could cup his face. Renzō's hands fell to her waist, no wanting to let her go. “Maybe you could make this your home for a little while.”

“...Why?” He shook his head. “I shouldn't have even stayed last night...Why would you want me around longer?”

“Well because I like you Renzō, and I want to get to know you better.” Shiemi blushed a bit before shaking her own head. “Not only that, but I think everyone needs a home. Someplace to return to.”

Renzō was quiet as he rolled over her words and sighed as he leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “...I want to stay too.” He finally said after a moment. “I'm...I'm staying then.”

“Good.” She kissed his cheek making his eyes pop open. “So I guess this means this is your home too now....Welcome home Renzō!”

Her smile made his heart go crazy in his chest and his cheeks turn such a bright red. It burned but in a good way. With a sigh Renzō pulled Shiemi into a hug, wrapping his arms around her as he laid his head against the top of hers. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth that seeped from her.

' _She's_ _just_ _like sunshine..._ ' He thought, opening his eyes.

“You are the weirdest person I have ever met Shiemi...and I've met a lot of weird people.”

A soft giggle came from the young woman as she returned the hug. “That's okay. You're weird too so we're equal.”

Renzō huffed, feeling the last bit of his panic attack disappearing. “Yeah...guess it does.”

A strange almost foreign feeling began to warm up inside his chest as he held the woman. He hadn't felt this feeling in so long he almost didn't recognize it but after a few moments he did. It was the feeling of being safe at home and it all came from the woman he was holding. Instead of fighting it Renzō gave up and let his eyes slide close, welcoming the warm almost wonderful feeling.

Slowly he realized he had missed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter haunted me for a while and I worked on it so much I actually had a nightmare about it lol. But I'm glad its done!  
> Another big thank you goes to Lovepsycho again for helping me with this chapter! 
> 
> Other than that not much else to say than I hope you enjoyed reading it!


	3. Chapter three

One day had turned into another. Then another and another, until it had almost been two weeks since Renzō had been staying at Shiemi's apartment.

Currently shopping for groceries, Shiemi wondered what Renzō was going to do. At some point he was going to have to do more than stay at her place and at times go to the park to pass the time while she was gone. Especially since she wasn't certain how to explain him to her friends.

Especially Rin and Yukio; though both are exorcists and Rin is a half-demon like Renzō, she's not entirely certain how they will react to her having what amounted to a strange man in her apartment.

And Renzō _is_ strange; she still didn't know too much about him, though she could guess thanks to knowing Rin. Half-demons always had it hard. But at the same time, she had the feeling there was more to it.

' _Well, I guess I have to wait._ ' She decided. After all, no way she could control Renzō and it was his problem ultimately. One day he would trust her enough to open up and she would be ready when that happened. No matter what, she would accept him.

' _Though...now that I think of it, isn't it about time that Rin returns?_ ' Shiemi realized, thinking back since she last saw the blue-eyed half-demon.

Rin had said something about a mission – or was that test? Rin hadn't been that clear – in the Himalayas for about two weeks, and said time had already past. So he was bound to show up soon.

With that in mind, Shiemi decided to finish her grocery shopping quicker than usual. Rin was a nice guy, but Shiemi didn't know how he would react to seeing a guy in her apartment. He was her friend after all and cared for her, so was also protective of her. He was the one that insisted she got the pepper spray in fact.

' _He wouldn't hurt Renzō, but I should be there anyways. Just in case._ ' Shiemi rationalized, as she went to get the final items she needed according to her list.

' _Well, he won't be upset with Renzō cooking for me!_ ' Shiemi was a minor disaster in the kitchen at times, so Rin always worried about her diet. Now with someone able to cook – though honestly not as well as Rin, but that was the norm – with and for her, she was much healthier for sure. ' _He'll like that!_ '

With positive thoughts like that in her mind, Shiemi headed to the check-out.

Not knowing what scene she would come upon when she returned home.

* * *

 “I need to leave...”

Renzō had not meant to say that out loud as he walked around Shiemi's apartment, watering her plants. But when you are alone you tend to get strange habits and talking to oneself was one of Renzō's more normal ones. He wasn't exactly fond of it but it oddly enough helped him keep his sanity and organize his thoughts.

At the moment he couldn't help but feel he had over stayed his welcome by a bit too much. Not that Shiemi ever made him feel unwelcome, it was mostly the half-demon's senses that kept bugging him. He didn't like staying in one spot for too long, afraid he'd gain too much attention if he did. This was probably the longest he had ever stayed in one spot in the last year or so. And he was starting to get worried if it had been too long and maybe he had put Shiemi in danger.

The people after him weren't the type to just jump out and take you, no they liked to observe, get your habits and schedule down before they popped up to destroy everything. He knew this very well seeing as he had been a part of it at one point. Renzō had been a spy, a job he would like to forget honestly, but it had come with some perks in the end. Made it possible for him to stay under the radar and keep an eye out so maybe it wasn't so bad. At least that part wasn't.

The half-demon just prayed to himself that he didn't get her in trouble seeing as he figured exorcists would not be too fond to have her hanging out with him. Which was why when he went to pick her up from work, he waited a block or so away and waited for her there. That way they could meet up and not worry about people she worked with seeing him.

Of course avoiding the urge to leave completely was getting harder and harder each day. Renzō didn't want to leave Shiemi, she made him feel like he was home and safe. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in years and had missed for so long that now he had it again leaving it behind was going to be near impossible. But that cold fear of getting Shiemi in trouble hung over him so dangerously and gut wrenching that he knew he had to leave no matter what.

Even if it broke his heart he had to leave her. No matter what...

“Wonder how I should break it to her...” He mumbled pouring a bit of water into one of the hanging plants. He sighed as he brought it back down staring down at it as if it held all the answers.

He would probably do it tonight after dinner so he didn't break it too harshly. If he just blurted it out at her right when she came home it would make him such a bigger jerk than he was. Besides she knew it was coming, that he couldn't stay here....

Renzō rubbed his forehead with a sigh realizing he was thinking about this as if they were in a relationship. They weren't really if he sat down and thought about it seriously. Shiemi and himself were more like friends with benefits (not that big benefits seeing as it was only the one time) and he was just getting too far attached. Which wasn't healthy for either of them so it was better if he broke it off right now before it got too crazy.

Shaking his head he headed towards the kitchen counter to pour out the rest of the water inside the can. He was done with watering the plants now so there was no need for it...well at least this set. Renzō had a few more to do before he could relax completely according to the little schedule Shiemi had left.

Cleaning, watering the plants, and cooking was sort of Renzō's self-assigned jobs while he stayed here. It was the least he could do thanks to him just basically freeloading here. He didn't really mind doing chores like this in the first place since it kept him busy and his mind off of other things. Well usually it kept him busy, but every so often dark thoughts would creep in and just bug him until he brushed them off or actually thought about them.

Picking up the duster Renzō turned around to head for the TV to dust for a bit and clear his mind. He was going to tell her he was leaving tonight, he was sure of that but for the moment he wanted to forget it. And just pretend he was going to stay a bit longer. They would eat dinner just like normal and then to share Shiemi's futon together once it was time for bed, just like they had done for the past two weeks. It helped calm down his nerves to hold Shiemi and breathe in her scent, which was slowly picking up his the longer they were together.

“It will be fine.” He told himself quietly. “It will all work out in the end.”

And he did believe that until someone who wasn't Shiemi walked right into the apartment, making Renzō freeze.

* * *

Okumura Rin wasn't exactly sure what he had expected when he opened the door to Shiemi's apartment...well actually that wasn't true. He had expected it to be completely empty except for a few plants, since he realized half-way here that Shiemi was probably at the local grocer's right now. Instead he found a tall man standing in the middle of said apartment with a duster in hand, staring right back at him.

The half-demon had come straight from the subway, hoping to check up on the young woman and make sure she was safe and sound. After all he had been away for two weeks in the Himalayas for his Lower First Class Exorcist test, she was bound to be snacking around rather than just eating regularly.

“Just go and check up on her already!” Paku Noriko had laughed. “You're such a worry wart that even if you did come see me first you wouldn't be able to sit still.”

Rin sighed as he leaned against a nearby light pole with his cellphone pressed to his ear. “I know, I just feel sort of guilty of not going to go see you first. You are my fiancée after all.”

Noriko snorted. “I'll survive. Now just go already! I'll be up and waiting for you so don't worry about me.”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he nodded, despite knowing his love couldn't see. “Alright. I'll be home in a bit then. Hang tight.”

“I will. Goodbye Rin.”

“See ya soon Noriko.”

He had hung up after that and went straight for Shiemi's apartment.

Rin tried his best to give the young woman all the space he could but at times Shiemi could be an honest mess. She would get so focused on one thing (usually plants) and not see anything else for weeks at a time. If it hadn't been for him keeping an eye on her, Rin was sure that Shiemi would starve herself to death one day...or just eat unhealthy like no tomorrow.

That was of course a recent development seeing as the girl had for years just ate herbs or whatever her mother (and Rin at times) put in front of her. When she started to live on her own she got addicted to fast food and store bought bento since they were so easy to “prepare” and eat. Rin had quickly put a stop to that, making sure she was eating healthy, and even stopped by every week to cook her up some dinner and make her some lunches too. It was missions like this that made him really nervous about her eating habits.

Yes, he knew he should just let her do what she wanted since she was an adult, but damn it Shiemi was basically a sister to him and he was overprotective at times. His younger twin brother could attests to that, since he did the same damn thing with him.

So when he saw the strange man just standing in the middle of his “sister's” apartment Rin was ready to freak. His body tensed as he stared at the guy, feeling like he vaguely knew him while at the same time getting ready to rip his head off. Then the weirdo bolted, heading straight for Shiemi's bedroom.

He would have made it there if Rin hadn't actually recognized him at that point and tackled him to the floor. They both hit the floor hard, but that didn't lessen Rin's hold on him. He barely dodged an elbow to the face when he tried to turn the guy over to get a better look at his face.

“Get off of me!” The man yell struggling.

Rin's eyes widened when he realized this guy was about ten times stronger than a normal human. Which made it harder for him to keep him down and in his grasp. With a growl the half-demon was able to flip the stranger over onto his back and pinned him down. For a second Rin was sure he had been mistaken when he thought he recognized the guy but the minute he got a good look at his face he knew he was wrong.

“S-Shima!?” His eyes widened as he stared down, just barely keeping a firm hold on him so he wouldn't be able to run off.

The stranger stopped his struggles and froze, his eyes staring straight into Rin's.

“O-Okumura-kun?”

For a moment both were caught up in examining each other, forgetting the small fight they had been in. Rin felt his stomach drop as he realized the person under him really was Shima Renzō, a one time friend from high school and a bit afterward. It had been years since the last time he saw the guy but there was no doubt in Rin's mind that this was Renzō, and him saying his own name just confirmed it.

He looked like shit was what first hit Rin as he stared down at him. Well, not _shit_ shit, but he didn't look too healthy mentally. Dark bags were under his wide fear-filled brown eyes that stared up at the half-demon as if he expected him to beat him to death. Sure he looked a bit older than in high school but in return he looked tired and beaten.

The second thing that hit Rin was the weird fact that Renzō's features were far from normal. While the last time he had seen the guy he did have pink hair, there was just something off about how it looked now. Before it had been clearly dyed but now it looked completely natural, not to mention there were a few black strands here and there. He clearly had fangs with the way he bared at them Rin in an almost feral way. But the thing that stuck out the most and made Rin's stomach drop in confusion and worry was the fact the young man had two horns poking out the top of his head.

“You...You're a half-demon...” Rin's voice was barely above a whisper and caused Renzō's body to tense. “What the hell happened?”

Renzō looked away from Rin and gritted his teeth before pushing against him. “Get off and let me go...”

“Shima what the hell happened to you!?” Rin yelled shaking him, refusing to move. “Talk to me Renzō!”

For a moment he seemed completely caught off guard by Rin using his first name, but that quickly passed. “Why the hell would you care!” He snapped, glaring straight at him. “I was working for the Illuminati and even fought you!”

“So what!? I haven't seen you in _years_ and not only that you look like shit and you are suddenly a half-demon when I'm pretty damn sure you were born _human_!” Rin yelled back. “Not to mention you're staying with a person I consider a sister, so _**start talking**_! What happened? Where's Izumo?”

Renzō froze at that. “What do you mean where's Izumo-chan? She's not with you!?”

“Obviously or else I wouldn't be yelling at you!” Rin snapped shaking him. “What happened to you?”

“And I asked _why you give a shit_! I betrayed all of you, I fought with you for years Okumura-kun!” He tried to cover up the hurt in his eyes, failed, and started to struggle again against Rin's grip. “Let me go!”

“I give a shit because you're my freaking _friend_ you pink-haired idiot!” Rin growled. His face softened, noticing yelling wasn't getting through to the guy. It just made him more defensive and angrier. Sighing Rin let his shoulders relax a tiny bit but keep his grip on his fellow half-demon. “Suguro is worried about you still, Konekomaru is too. Your family is worried sick.”

“As if.” Renzō hissed, blinking back tears and looking away from Rin.

“Your mother had a freaking _break down_ when she found out what happened!” Rin yelled, giving him a sharp shake. “She begged us to get you back but we just couldn't find you! Please, just tell me what happened to you man... _please_.”

“You really want to know what happened to me? Fine I'll tell you what happened to me.” Renzō voice was shaky as he took a deep breath. “I fucked up. That's what happened. I fucked up big time and I got exactly what I deserved...”

“I let Izumo-chan go...I saw what they did to her mother and realized that was how she was going to end up! And if they didn't figure out shit with her they'd just move on to her little sister. So I let her go and just as I was about to follow they caught me! And let me tell you they were _fucking_ pissed...So guess what kind of punishment I got in return?”

“Renzō, don't tell me--”

“I was _demoted_ to test subject!” Renzō practically screamed. He laughed bitterly as he shook his head, gritting his teeth. “I finally do something freaking right and my reward is that! That _sick bastard_ decided since he couldn't get his hands on Izumo-chan he might as well see what would happen if you forced a tamer and their demon together!”

“What...what happened to Yamantaka?” Rin gulped, afraid to hear the answer. The only reason he even knew the demon's name was thanks to the fact he had fought Renzō a few times before. It was hard to forget the big Myōō-o demon, covered in black flames and seeming to be almost _protective_ of Renzō, who had helped Renzō knock him on his ass a few times.

“What the hell do you think happened!?” Renzō sounded as if he was about to lose it at any second. “They forced him into me! It hurt like hell and I was screaming for days... _he_ was screaming for days! Until it was just **me** screaming...” Tears started to roll down his face. “He died! My _best friend_ died! And I woke up as this fucked up half-demon freak!”

Rin moved so Renzō could sit up and moved just a bit back to give him some space. Part of him was afraid he would bolt, which was why he stayed close to Renzō. Another part just wanted to comfort his friend, or at least try to. The man was having a full blown breakdown as sobs wracked his body once he sat up.

“The only real friend I ever had was dead because of me! It was either we both burn up together or he let himself fade away just to save a **useless** person like me!” Renzō sobbed into his hands. “I don't deserve to live...I don't deserve it at all after what I've done. He should be here not me!”

He sobbed harder as he held his head, digging his fingers into his scalp. It was sobering for Rin to see a once cheerful person such as Renzō be reduced down to a crying mess. This wasn't the sarcastic and playful guy he had once been...he was a broken person.

The sound of something hitting on the floor made both men look up from their spot and directly at the front door. Standing there with a horrified expression was Shiemi. She covered her mouth with both hands as she stared at Renzō, tears silently falling down her cheeks. Rin briefly wondered how he hadn't noticed her come in. Then again he had been so focused on Renzō that anything could have sneaked by him and he wouldn't have noticed.

“N-no...” Renzō gritted his teeth as he gripped his hands into fists and let his head hang down. Rin wondered why he said that before realizing he hadn't wanted Shiemi to hear all of that. An empathetic pang struck Rin's heart at that – he knew too well _that_ kind of feeling.

“Renzō!”

Rin blinked as Shiemi rushed by him, falling to her knees right next to the other half-demon. She was still crying as she wrapped her arms around the half-demon, pulling him into a hug. Renzō froze at her touch, as if he didn't believe she was touching him. Then he lifted his head slowly and saw her tears and threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her. Shiemi kept on sobbing, rubbing his back gently.

“You're not useless Renzō...” She sobbed out. “Don't ever say that! Never again. Never!”

The young man didn't respond as he hid his face in her shoulder, shoulders shaking and a small wet spot growing on Shiemi's outfit from the tears pouring from the pink-haired guy's eyes. Rin sat back with a sigh, realizing he had walked into quite a complicated mess, but at the same time he was happy to have his friend back.

* * *

The air between all three was very awkward and quiet after Renzō calmed himself down. It took Shiemi a little longer to calm down herself, keeping her arms wrapped around Renzō during this. Rin had stayed quiet watching them for a moment before standing up and going to the kitchen, detouring to the genkan to grab the groceries and put them away. Neither one noticed him doing this until a pleasant smell of something delicious cooking drifted though the small apartment. Renzō rubbed his nose before sniffing the air, blinking when he caught sight of Rin at the kitchen.

His attention was brought back to Shiemi who pulled her sleeve down to her hands and wiped at his face. He stared down at her, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment but didn't fight the attention, in fact enjoying it. Quietly he wiped away her tears, pausing for a moment to examine her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, there was a bit of snot dripping down here nose; everything screamed unattractive but he couldn't help but think she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. He must be going crazy...

Shiemi leaned up and kissed his cheek making his eyes widen in surprise. He touched his cheek staring down at her her happy smile, which made his cheeks burn in response.

“Does he always randomly start cooking in your apartment?” Renzō asked softly, looking away from her.

Shiemi sniffed, nodding her head giggling a little bit. “Yep, Rin always does this.”

He sighed in response letting his shoulder sag almost in defeat. “You and your friends are so freaking weird.”

Shiemi just laughed in return, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it gently.

They moved to sitting at the table in front of her couch, with Renzō staring at Rin as he cooked. Shiemi kept her hand on top of his, which helped him relax. He would rather just wrap his arms around her and hold her but with Rin around he wasn't sure what to do. After all he already broke down just a bit ago the half-demon wasn't exactly sure he could survive any more embarrassment.

What did help was Shiemi herself. She took his hand and rubbed it gently with hers, sort of massaging it gently. Her hands were so nice and warm and soft...he really liked how her hand felt against his. Though he would rather be hugging her than just holding hands it was still nice.

Renzō was taken out by his thoughts by Rin setting down his and Shiemi's plates in front of them with their chopsticks, giving them a pointed look that declared loud and clear that they were to eat.

“Thank you for the meal.” Shiemi and Renzō replied together before they began to meal.

After taking the first bite Renzō paused, enjoying the heavenly taste. He had been able to eat a few of Rin's home cooked meals back in high school and never forgot how great of a cook the guy had been. It was sort of oddly nostalgic as he took another bite, finding it easier to really relax one more.

He snorted a bit. “I forgot how good of cook you are. I kinda missed it now that I think about it.” He let a smile come to his lips. “Thank you Okumura-kun.”

Rin was blushing as he sat down with his meal. “It's nothing really, just takikomi gohan* I whipped up.”

“Well it's really good either way.” Renzō smiled, for real this time.

“Just glad I could make you feel better then.” Rin couldn't help but shoot a smile back.

“Thank you for cooking.” Shiemi added after watching the two. “I sort of missed your cooking...not that yours wasn't good Renzō-kun!”

He laughed at that. “Nah it's okay I understand. Rin's cooking would beat anyone's.”

“So you were feeding Shiemi for me?” Rin grinned at Renzō. “I didn't know you knew how to cook.”

“It was either I learn or I starve,” the pink-haired man shrugged his shoulders. “I sort of like living at times so I learned fast.”

Rin nodded his head, understanding what he meant. This was when he dropped his smile and replaced it with a serious expression which made the other two blink. Neither had really seen Rin switch his emotions so quick before, but kept quiet figuring something must be up for him to do this. Well they _knew_ something big was up, Renzō more than Shiemi of course. The girl sort of was out of the loop in terms of knowing what was going on.

“Shiemi, I hate to break it to you but you are in a lot of trouble.” Rin sighed.

“What did I do?” She looked a bit hurt.

“You housed an Illuminati spy.” Renzō answered glaring at his empty bowl of food. He hadn't even realized he had eaten it all until he looked down. “Aka me. Which is a big offense for the exorcists. Then again I'm in more trouble than you are.”

“But you quit! And they experimented on you!” Shiemi cried out. “I just...”

“Doesn't matter. I was a spy, I betrayed them.” He let out a soft sigh. Renzō gripped his hand into a tight fist. “I'm sorry...I should have left when I had the chance, instead I got you into so much trouble...I'm sorry Shiemi...”

“You didn't do anything wrong! You saved me!” Shiemi argued back.

“Whoa, whoa back that up a bit,” Rin interjected making them turn their attention back to him. “What do you mean by he _saved_ you?”

Shiemi's face went red at that admission, realizing she had let slip something she had meant to not tell Rin about. He was such a worry wart that she had decided that she didn't need him freaking out over it. Too late for that.

“W-well...um...” Shiemi stuttered fidgeting in her seat. “It...was sort of an accident.”

“Shiemi got attacked by a demon, I saw it and saved her, destroying the demon in the process.” Renzō explained rolling his eyes.

“What!? When did this happen?” Rin snapped his attention back to Shiemi.

“About two weeks ago...” Shiemi mumbled looking away. “I would have been fine though! That special pepper spray you gave me was great! Had him down in a blink of an eye!”

“Yeah that stuff was pretty awesome actually.” Renzō agreed nodding his head.

“That's great to hear, and I'm sure Yukio will be happy to hear his demon pepper spray really is effective, not to mention I'm glad your safe but Shiemi you have to be _more careful_!” Rin groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. He paused to rub his temples for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. “Let's focus back on the big important issue at hand here. Both of you are in some major trouble if anyone but me finds out you're both here and living together. Renzō for being an Illuminati spy and for you, Shiemi, for housing him.”

“Ex-Illuminati spy.” Shiemi muttered, actually sounding irritated.

Renzō blinked at that staring at her for a moment in compete surprise but letting his gaze drop just a tiny bit. His cheeks were a tiny bit red, as Shiemi's hand moved under the table, clearly going to hold his. He jumped a bit and tensed when her hand touched his, but relaxed after a moment. Rin silently noticed the half-demon's tail had slipped out of his shirt and was wagging around slowly in the back.

It wasn't hard for Rin to figure out his old friend had fallen _hard_ for Shiemi. He may be denying it right now as a way to protect himself, and maybe to protect Shiemi a bit as well, but it was clear as day. The young woman however was a bit more controlled in her emotions from Rin's observations. She was attracted to him and liked him but it wasn't the same as what Renzō held for her. But it was close, just maybe needed a bit more time and Shiemi would probably be just as smitten with Renzō as he was with her.

It was sort of weird for Rin to realize this was the same guy back in high school who had been notorious for being totally girl crazy. No...that wasn't right. Renzō _wasn't_ the same person he was back in high school. He was different, more grown, and unfortunately broken. But he wasn't beyond repair from the looks of it and was slowly piecing himself back together. Shiemi was good for him, which was something the half-demon had picked up quickly when he saw them together. She made him calm down just by touching him, something that should freak him out given how Rin imagined he had been treated by the Illuminati. They had a terrible reputation that was well-earned.

Maybe it was because he was a half-demon that her physical touch calmed him, though this was more Rin going by personal experience than anything else. He had a thing for holding Noriko and just finding himself calm and happy, just from touching her more than anything else. Smelling her sweet scent and knowing she was safe, happy and he was home. Looking at Renzō one more time Rin was now convinced it had to be a half-demon thing, especially given how his scent was all over Shiemi, same as Rin's was all over Noriko's. They probably shared her bed, which explained why it was so strong. Rin was pretty sure they hadn't had sex yet, given how shy he knew Shiemi was, but figured they were pretty close.

It was oddly sweet and Rin just couldn't help but want to protect their budding little relationship. Of course how he was going to do that...well that was going to be tricky.

Rin let out a sigh, feeling very weird. _H_ _e_ was being the serious one here after all. Tilting his head, he spoke up, “Okay let's not freak out. There are ways to get around this after all...I mean I should know that better than anyone being the Son of Satan.”

“Yeah I'm still sort of surprised you're sitting there in an Exorcist uniform.” Renzō replied blinking. “I almost forgot about that actually.”

“S-so you mean there's a way to make sure they don't throw Renzō in jail?” Shiemi asked leaning forward a bit.

“They'd probably out right kill him honestly but well yeah I'm sure there's a way.” Rin pointed out with a shrug. Being threatened to be executed was pretty much nothing to him since it was something that had been over his head since he was fifteen.

“There better be a way!” Shiemi puffed up, actually angry over all this. “I'm not going to let them kill him just for a mistake he made as a teenager...th-that is when you went with them right?”

“Um yeah it is.” Renzō scratched his cheek shrugging a bit. “It's a pretty big damn mistake though Shiemi--”

“And you were already punished for it! _More_ than you should have!” She snapped, making him jump. The young woman leaned back, tears threatening at her eyes. “I think you've suffered enough Renzō...”

He looked her straight in the eyes before drop his head, squeezing her hand gently. “Thank you Shiemi but--”

“But nothing.” She huffed. Her eyes softened once more. “Just let us help you okay?”

Renzō hesitated, afraid that maybe this wasn't real or he just wasn't hearing right. But one look into Shiemi's eyes told him she was determined to save him no matter what. He sighed letting his gaze drop back down towards his lap, a weird warm fluttering feeling settling in his stomach.

“Alright I guess I will let you help me then.” He smiled sadly. “Weird to be saying that honestly....”

“Well it's going to be a bit harder than just agreeing to it.” Rin crossed his arms groaning slightly. “It's going to be hard honestly because I'm not even sure where to start.”

“What about Yuki-chan?” Shiemi suggested looking up hopefully. “He has a higher rank than you right?”

“'Yuki-chan'? Who's that?” Renzō looked between Rin and Shiemi, sort of hoping that was a girl...then wondering why it mattered to him. God he was too attached...

“That's would be my brother.” Rin answered with a smile. “That's just Shiemi's nickname for him so don't worry about it.”

“Oh...” The half-demon snorted, smiling a bit. “ _Yuki-chan_? Really? That totally doesn't fit the guy I remember.”

Ignoring Shiemi's confused stare at the man next to her Rin decided to move on. “Anyways, Yukio is honestly the only person who's going to be able to help you...so for now I guess the only thing you can do is sit tight and let me call him up. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow to let you know what he says.”

“I can do that.” Renzō nodded his head. “Sort of been a shut in for a while anyways so it won't hurt me to stay in a day.”

“And I don't have work tomorrow so I'll be home too.” She smiled at Renzō sweetly. Shiemi had been planning to tell him earlier but well things got in the way. “That way you're not home alone and waiting for a call from Rin.”

He blushed and nodded his head. “Yeah that would be nice.” _Really_ nice since if he had been alone he'd probably just freak out. Maybe even run away.

“Thank you Rin, we really appreciate it.” Shiemi turned to her friend, smiling.

Rin shrugged his shoulders. “I'm just helping out some friends so really don't worry about it.”

“No I am going to worry about it because you're putting your neck out for me...” Renzō looked down. “Thank you Rin...seriously thank you.”

“It's not a problem okay?” Rin rolled his eyes. “But either way you're welcome.”

Renzō let a smile come to his lips and nodded his head. Silently he intertwined his fingers with Shiemi's squeezing her hand gently as a warm, foreign feeling settled down inside of him. Slowly he realized that feeling, the warmth blooming inside his chest, was hope. Renzō couldn't remember the last time he felt his way, knowing if he had been alone he would have rejected it. Now holding the hand of the sweet girl he had only met a two weeks ago, he decided he would trust it for once. And honestly hope this would work out.

* * *

 Rin sighed as he leaned against his kitchen counter, pulling his cellphone out. He had gone home after talking to Shiemi and Renzō for a bit, catching up with both. The half-demon left a bit later than he planned but that was okay, it had been fun to see both of them and Noriko had understood. She was waiting for him in his bedroom, letting him have a bit of privacy for his phone call to Yukio. He had only explained a bit to the young woman telling her he would explain more in the morning.

It only took a few rings for Yukio to pick up. “Nii-san? Are you home now? How did your test go?”

“Um yeah I am. And I passed it the test actually. But well...” Rin sighed as he took a deep breath a smile playing at his lips. “You are not going to believe what happened when I checked up on Shiemi and found the trouble she got herself into...”

“T-trouble!? What do you mean by trouble!? Is she okay nii-san? What exactly did Shiemi-san get into!?”

“...Nii-san...what did Shiemi-san _do_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takikomi gohan: A Japanese dish of fried rice seasoned with dashi and soy sauce cooked together with mushrooms, vegetables, meat or fish.
> 
> Big thanks to Lovepsycho with helping me out with this chapter too! It was a lot of fun to write so I hope you all enjoy it.


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